Passenger flights between Kurdistan and Syria to resume on Wednesday

The cockpit of an airplane at Erbil International Airport in the Kurdistan Region. File photo: Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The first passenger flight between the Kurdistan Region and Syria is due to take off on Wednesday after air travel between the two was brought to a halt for two years because of the war with ISIS.

“We have the intention to reopen the line between Erbil and Damascus. But this time will be different than before where the travel was with a different airliner. They intend to have two flights weekly between Damascus and Erbil — on Monday and Thursday evenings — and the travel is for normal passengers, not cargo,” Talar Fayeq, director of Erbil international airport told Rudaw.

There will be flights to the Syrian capital of Damsacus from Erbil and Sulaimani international airports, with two flights from Erbil and one from Sulaimani every week.

The first flight is expected to land in Sulaimani on Wednesday.

Previously, a return ticket to Damascus was $400. It has now dropped to $265.

Resumption of flights between the two is expected to increase the number of tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region.

There are nearly 23 airliners in the Kurdistan Region, of which eight are owned by Arab firms. Other airliners are from neighboring countries, European and other western countries.